The present invention relates to social networking, and more specifically to protecting the privacy of shared personal information.
Social networking systems allow users to share personal information with each other. Such information can include real names, contact addresses, phone numbers, email and screen names, events, dates, favorite restaurants, recently read books, or personal conversations, among limitless other possibilities.
Recent mobile devices allow users to access such networks from anywhere at anytime. This makes sharing one's physical location with other users particularly attractive. Users in the same vicinity can meet up for a meal, drinks, or a movie. They can tell when a friend is traveling or in a location where she doesn't want to be disturbed. One can ask a friend near a certain store to pick up a needed item. Features such as GPS which automatically determine the mobile device's location make this process effortless for the user.
Providers of social networking systems aggregate vast amounts of personal information about their users. This data is typically stored on servers outside the users' control. Some users may fear the system getting hacked and their personal information stolen. Others worry about the provider sharing their information with marketers or other third parties. Users may only want to give their personal contacts access to their information. These issues can make users reluctant to share their personal information within the social network.